(Photo by: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
Hopefully, this will translate to the ‘Skins balancing out their offense and adding that all-important second dimension.
Portis isn’t a liability whatsoever. He blocks well, catches passes out of the backfield, and can run between the tackles with the best of them. He isn’t a home run threat anymore, but he can still move the chains.
Of course it would be ideal to have a speedster behind him. The Redskins are in desperate need of a guy who can rip off huge runs of 40 yards or more.
They haven’t had one in years, but this year they might have found one (more on him later).
Ladell Betts is the backup, but he has been disappointing following his big 2006 campaign in which he ran for 1,100 yards in Portis’ absence. He signed a big contract extension after that year and has been non-existent since.
Granted, Portis receives the bulk of the workload, but the money poured into Betts means he needs to improve his production.
Betts has rushed for just 541 yards since 2006 and has averaged only 3.5 yards per carry. He isn’t the blocker Portis is, and he has had a penchant for fumbling.
Betts really isn’t worth the money he’s being paid and the ‘Skins might have a cheaper, and perhaps more talented, alternative in Marcus Mason.
Mason rolled through last year’s pre-season, but his inability on special teams kept him from making the final roster in 2008.
This year, Mason has been working on improving on special teams and a strong pre-season might land him on the roster. There has been no talk of replacing Betts, but Mason would be the wiser choice between the two.
Mason is shifty and has incredible patience. He has great vision and always seems to hit the right holes and the right time. He isn’t a speed demon, but he runs effectively.
Rock Cartwright saw little time at running back last year and he will be fighting for a roster spot this season. Cartwright has a downhill running style that isn’t suited for the stretch runs Zorn uses often.
He is strictly a between the tackles runner and Zorn had such little faith in him that he brought in Shaun Alexander when Betts was banged up last year.
Cartwright works extremely hard and yet he will remain a Redskin solely by contributing on special teams. He covers punts and returns kickoffs, but his impact on the ground game will be as small as last year’s.
Lastly, the Redskins picked up Anthony Alridge off of waivers several months ago.
Alridge ran a 4.22 in his pro day workout in 2008 and was picked up by the Broncos as an undrafted free agent. He was placed on injured reserve and waived following the season.
Mike Shanahan advised Vinny Cerrato to sign him reportedly calling him the fastest player he’d ever seen with the ball in his hands. So Alridge might be the explosive force the ‘Skins need.
Imagine running the draw on a third and long and seeing a big 80-yard score. How about snagging a a little swing pass into the fat and seeing a glitzy 75-yard scamper?
Washington hasn’t had someone who could turn the tide like that since Brian Mitchell. Alridge might turn out to be the ‘Skins ace in the hole.
Overall Grade: B+
The Redskins have a strong starting option in Portis, but behind him they need to get things sorted out.
Mason will save cap space and do a better job supporting Portis than Betts. However, I expect to see Betts hold the No. 2 spot. And that would be a major mistake.
Alridge is an exciting prospect who could turn out to be a key component to the ‘Skins ground game. It’s not a feature back league anymore so it never hurts to have two or three guys who can contribute.
So Portis receives an A- while the confusion behind him lowers it to a solid B+. Hopefully a couple correct decisions in training camp bring up the grade.
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